How are the past and present skillfully blended in Miller's Death of a Salesman to illustrate the disturbed mind of Willy Loman. How effectively does portray Willy's character?

The most significant and challenging aspect to Death of a Salesman is its structure. In reading and watching the play it may appear at first that Miller is relying on the tried but true "flashback" technique in dramatizing the events of the play.In reality, Miller is actually attempting something much different. He is actually trying to fuse the past, present, and future into, what David Biele has aptly termed, a "constant state of NOW."


Willy a salesman at his old age understood how failure he is compering to Carley his neighbor who is a success man. His son Bernard is a professional lawyer. But Willy has no job no future for his son Biff. This is his present thinking but in every of thinking of willy Miller uses a flashback technique to show the past regarding the present situation to focus of Willy'e Tragic flaw.

Willy's flashback remind him the past when he would dream about the future of his son Biff compering to Bernard. He would think that Biff would be a successful man one day because of his well-liked and his hard working skill in Playing. He would also dream of becoming rich one day compering to his brother Ben who were rich by getting  diamond at age of 21. Thus easy success of his brother made him thing of his won success in future by easy success plan. This what he dream of american dream ideology.


Now in present sate takes his mind to future to focus what he will do in future and what is the future of his son Biff , who tried many jobs but failure and want to run a business but has no money to run the business. Willy has no job we was fired and he now living by taking money form Charley ..



Thus reader can look uo to the future darkness of Biff and Willy . Miller used past present to blend the future perfectly to the reader and audiences.